Standards Commissioner calls for ‘prudence’ in use of ministerial cars

Commissioner for Standards in Public Life Joseph Azzopardi has called for more explicit guidelines on the use of ministerial vehicles in a decision on a complaint by independent politician Arnold Cassola based on a report by The Shift.

Cassola had filed the complaint after this newsroom revealed that Parliamentary Secretary Chris Bonnet had used his ministry-financed car for a family holiday to Sicily last November.

The Commissioner concluded that while there was no breach of ethics, “this does not mean it was good practice”, saying that there should be “prudence” in the use of the vehicle, despite it being “a known fact that there are other high ranking officials who have used their ministry vehicles to go abroad”.

Last November, The Shift reported that Bonnet had used his government-leased BMW 520D for a private holiday, not official government business.

The Commissioner said that “Bonnet and others who have similar benefits can use caution and prudence with respect to the public perception given that [the Commissioner’s] office is obliged to look past regulations as ethical behaviour demands”.

Azzopardi said there should be “guidelines in this regard that apply to Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, and all government and parastatal officials”, adding that “these guidelines should be available publicly”.

Nevertheless, the Commissioner’s document concluded with a decision not to investigate further.

In a letter to the Commissioner on 12 April, Bonnet refused Cassola’s complaint of unethical behaviour, claiming his ministerial vehicle’s contract did not limit where it could be used. He also claimed that he paid any additional expenses incurred on the November trip.

Bonnet pointed to the car’s contract which specified charges for “European break-down service coverage, additional insurance, and a surcharge of Lm25 daily for the duration that car is in use outside Malta”. Despite being signed in March 2020 by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the contract still specifies charges in Maltese lira, a currency that has been obsolete since 2008.

An invoice annexed to the decision from Vision Car Leasing to Bonnet for the charges is dated 31 December, showing it was only issued following The Shift’s reports in November on Bonnet’s car usage.

Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Azzopardi was appointed Standards Commissioner last March through a controversial ‘anti-parliamentary deadlock’ legislation passed covertly two days after last Christmas.

The new legislation allowed the commissioner to be appointed through a simple majority vote, given that the previously required two-thirds consensus was not reached.

This meant that the government freely chose a Commissioner without the need for consensus with the Opposition.